Archive for the tag “manipulating the public”

Theoretical physicist, Leonard Mlodinow appeared on the Dylan Ratigan show today to discuss his new book Subliminal: how your unconscious mind rules your behavior. Prior to introducing this guest, Dylan stated, “Revolutionary new neuroscience is proving that the way that our brain perceives so called facts in front of us dictates our emotional and overall experience in reality” Leonard Mlodinow discussed the implications current neuroscience research has on our very thoughts, actions and behaviors. Since most of what we do is essentially determined unconsciously, the author notes, the brain is using whatever data it has available to inform your conscious mind about what decisions to make. This readily available data, in the form of current topics in the news, for instance, combined with our previous experiences impacts the way we see the world, what we believe, and how we relate to others.

According to the author, the way you see the world isn’t the way the world actually is, it just so happens to be the way you feel about things based on your previous experiences, and the information you are exposed to. Therefore, being able to tap into these feelings by controlling the information that is readily available for people to consume, according to current neuroscience research, has the ability to impact our entire belief system. It just so happens that the radical right wing has spent billions of dollars in think tanks to figure out exactly how to tap into these feelings. This is why they hire people like Frank “The Liar” Luntz to craft specific language that is purposely designed to influence us on an unconscious level, so that the “frame” becomes the reality we see.

To make matters worse, the media itself, from the newspapers we read, radio shows we listen to, and news stations we watch are almost entirely corporately owned and controlled. Taken together, the influence of the “corporate media” combined with the “frames” Frank Luntz uses to manipulate us, is having a major detrimental impact on our culture. Ironically, those in the “privileged sector” who are responsible for this pure and utter immoral manipulation are successfully using framing language to also convince us that we should blame “illegal immigrants”, “welfare recipients”, and “latte sipping liberals” for the problems they are responsible for creating.

When we accept the right wing “frames”, we tend to believe that those who are born ‘privileged’ in this country actually earned their money, and so we shouldn’t “punish the rich.” We tend to believe that a healthcare system that would actually provide healthcare for all is somehow a “Government take-over of healthcare.” We tend to believe that asking people in the privileged class to contribute to our Democracy by helping to fund the very public services and resources that they utilize more than the rest of us is “class warfare.” As an alternative, we tend to believe that giving more of our tax dollars to the privileged in this country is providing “tax relief” to those we tend to believe are “job-creators.”

Belief in these frames enables the status quo of income inequality to continue without objection. The danger in not objecting is that more of us are sinking into poverty, losing our jobs, our homes, and experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression. It explains why were eating too much, smoking too much, drinking too much, and committing more crimes, all while those at the top are being showered with the wealth that we all help to create. Despite all of this evidence, and the fact that the United States is still the richest nation on the planet, the frame “we’re broke” that is being used to perpetuate all of the immoral and devastating effects of income inequality persists. Of equal importance is the fact that any attempt by progressives to reverse this disastrous trend is framed as a “Government intrusion into your life.”

This is why we all need to understand the power of language in shaping not only who we are, but who we are becoming as a nation. America works together, not in isolation from each other, where one privileged class prevails at the expense of everyone else.

Newt Gingrich has certainly come a long way since the early 1990’s when he teamed up with Frank “The Liar” Luntz to craft a memo called, “Language: A Key Mechanism of Control“, which he then circulated to every member of the Republican Party. The primary purpose of this memo was to educate fellow GOP members on how to effectively use language to manipulate voters into supporting legislation that is detrimental to their health and well being. This is accomplished by “framing” issues that are important to the average voter in such a way that demonizes Democratic proposals, (ie, use of negative language) and praising anything put forth by the GOP (ie, use of positive language).

Since then, Newt Gingrich has learned how to perfect this framing technique, or art of manipulation for many of the key issues affecting our livelihood, including how to secure a job (ship them overseas) educating our children, (no need, just reinstitute child labor laws, and have poor kids clean up after the rich kids) providing healthcare to our family members when they get sick (let the for profit insurance companies can handle it) and ensuring our parents and grandparents are taken care of when they retire (take away our safety net by handing over the Social Security purse strings to the Wall Street casino).

In the process of learning how to better himself when it comes to manipulating the rest of us, Newt Gingrich has also become a natural at deflecting attention from his own immoral acts and redirecting the focus on the issues that he wants us to pay attention to by virtue of “framing” them. A classic example can be seen in the opening Presidential debate when he was asked about his “open marriage” request with regards to his ex-wife. His response, taken straight out of the memo was, “I think the destructive vicious negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office. I’m appalled you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” He cunningly tried to redirect the focus of this reasonable question by using the “liberal media” frame.

Although the issues he “frames” may appear to make sense on the surface, deep down they actually serve to enrich the most privileged members of our society at the expense of everyone else (ie, the people he is framing). This is why Newt Gingrich is scratching his head wondering why he is not the front-runner of his party. After all, he is ahead of his time in the sense that he has learned how to successfully use language to manipulate people into thinking we should reinstate child labor laws, end Medicare, dismantle Medicaid and Social Security, and continue to give our hard-earned money in the form of tax cuts to the upper class in the “privileged sector”, who are benefitting at our expense at every turn. Can you blame him for not wanting to take credit! In his mind, the ruling elite he his helping to enrich owe him at least a spot in the White House.